Global music sales have fallen by just 1.3% during the first half of the year, suggesting the market is showing the first signs of recovery.

Much of the growth is due to the growth of DVD music videos but industry figures say piracy is still a problem.

Music sales have been in decline for the past four years, and this is the best first-half year result since 2000.

Audio sales alone fell by 2.7% in contrast to music video sales which increased by 20.2%.

Jay Berman, chairman of the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), said: "There are some signs that the world's markets are beginning to recover. However, markets continue to be hampered by the dual effects of commercial and internet piracy."

But he said more and more people were using legitimate download services.

In North America, the world's biggest market, sales increased by 3.9%, following a steep drop a year ago.

But there was a drop of 7.7% in Europe while the UK saw a small increase of 0.6% increase in CD sales.

Sales in the second half of the year usually make up about 60% of annual revenue - new releases from artists including Britney Spears, Destiny's Child Eminem, Robbie Williams and U2 should ensure strong figures.